Michael Charton: Motivational Storyteller

michael charton

  • The name INHERIT SOUTH AFRICA references a belief that human history is a hard-earned gift from our ancestors.
  • A story offering learnings and wisdom for a more fulfilled life.
  • My dream over the coming years, is to develop a central repository of beautifully-crafted human stories, which might help people to appreciate the complexity of our past; forge fresh human connections; and inspire a level of consensus in South Africa’s past, necessary if we are to consider ourselves a nation.

  • Travels from: Cape Town, Western Cape

Keynote Topics

A RIPPLE OF HOPE WHISPERED FROM BOBBY KENNEDY’S TOUR OF SOUTH AFRICA IN 1966

THE MESSENGER is a story about Bobby Kennedy’s forgotten visit to South Africa in 1966 and the two years which followed it. The story explores the curious parallels between South Africa and the United States in the 1960s, while revealing a message of hope from a comparable time of political fracture.

At face value, THE MESSENGER is a niche story from a distant time, however its characters (from both sides of the Atlantic) are woven together to provide a fascinating study of the present, which has been receiving standing ovations from across the country

MY FATHER’S COAT is the realisation of Michael Charton’s decade-long ambition to make the incredible story, that is South African history, more accessible to our people. To open the hearts of South Africans to our past, so that we may use our remarkable story no longer as a tool to inspire hatred and fear and division, but rather as a source of unity and healing.

Accordingly, Michael Charton idea was to condense the epic narrative of South Africa into a bite-size story which is both compelling and balanced. A project which would prove to be a colossal, time-consuming challenge, but one which has ultimately given rise to a very unique product, providing order and meaning to a notoriously complex subject.

But importantly, this is no history lecture. Instead, this is just a story. A human story, told by climbing into the boots of five prominent and directly interlinked protagonists spanning 200 turbulent years: Mzilikazi, Kruger, Rhodes, Smuts and Mandela.

Michael Charton enthusiasm for the story of South Africa and his curiosity and passion for the peoples of our country has gradually lured him away from his corporate career. Having qualified as a chartered accountant and spent time in a financial advisory role in the United States, Michael returned to Cape Town in 2007 where, […]

Michael Charton enthusiasm for the story of South Africa and his curiosity and passion for the peoples of our country has gradually lured him away from his corporate career.

Having qualified as a chartered accountant and spent time in a financial advisory role in the United States, Michael returned to Cape Town in 2007 where, during a short career in advertising, he was awoken to the art and power of storytelling.

But in 2010, following an unorthodox project for an advertising client, Michael began telling stories. In 2011 Michael then stumbled upon the untold story of the 1937 Springbok rugby team: a group of men who lived in a fascinating time and whose legacy holds far more gravitas than which can be retained in a set of chalk lines.

This story proved to be a success and he has told the story to audiences around the country to overwhelmingly positive reviews. By 2015, Michael had developed and told a number of original, non-fiction stories all of which drew inspiration from South Africa’s unique history. An interest which, having qualified as an accountant, Michael had then studied through UNISA.

With these foundations laid, Michael Charton made the decision to embark on his most ambitious project to date. To write and tell a story which, while remaining true to the art of storytelling, manages to unearth the key dynamics of South African history in a manner which appeals to the heart.
This story would prove to be a monumental challenge, which saw Michael Charton resign his role as a financial director and ply 18 months of his life researching and developing.

The result was acclaimed story, MY FATHER’S COAT. A story which has found considerable acclaim and set Michael Charton up to expand his project into a company called INHERIT SOUTH AFRICA, which aims, through a number of projects, to make South African history more accessible to both our people and visitors.

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